The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's soccer team, ranked #6 in the East Region, captured a 1-0 East Coast Conference victory at Molloy College. STAC improved to 9-2-1 overall and temporarily moves into sole possession of first place in the ECC standings at 5-1, pending the result of Saturday's Mercy vs LIU Post game. Molloy slipped to 0-7, 2-12.

Despite the disparity in records, the rivalry between the Spartans and Molloy generally ensures a tight contest and this was no exception. STAC's conference-leading defense was in full display in the first half, holding the Lions without a shot for the entire 45 minutes, but the Spartans were held in check until the 37th minute of play. George Yusuff's cross found Luis Morales in front and his third goal of the season, at the 36:26 mark, stood up as the day's lone goal.

Trailing by a goal as the clock wound down, the hosts came out of their defensive posture pressing for the equalizer in the waning minutes only to be denied by Spartan keeper Jack Nicholson, who earned his fifth shutout of the seasons as STAC outshot the Lions by a 9-7 total for the day.

The Spartans return to action on Wednesday, October 17, traveling to face LIU Post in an ECC showdown before returning to Spartan Field to host the University of the District of Columbia on Saturday, October 20, in a 1:00 pm start.